Breaking Chains
by MissK33hl
Summary: Darcia had slaughtered all the Paradise Wolves, but their offspring still live on. They try desperately to get rid of this menace- meanwhile, someone else is trying to get away from the terrors of his own life and join Paradise. -BASED OFF ROLEPLAY-
1. this life is no paradise

**PARADISE PACK:**

_Tsuki (Tsume's Son : My Char)  
Raikou (Kiba's Daughter : JadeWolfe's Char)  
Ravyn (Darcia's Daughter : My Char)  
Tracy (Toboe's Daughter : Rachelle Amber Logan's Char)  
Hinto (Hige's Son : Rachelle Amber Logan's Char)  
Sukai (Tsume's Daughter : JadeWolfe's Char)  
Ayame (Hige's Daughter : My Char)  
Naoki (Outsider : My Char)  
Sua (Outsider : My Char)_

****

DARCIA'S ARMY:

_Darcia (Roleplayed by me)  
Volcom (Roleplayed by me)  
Pendulum (Roleplayed by me)  
Rian (Rachelle Amber Logan's char)  
Zach (Rachelle Amber Logan's char)  
Cobra (JadeWolfe's char)  
Kalli (JadeWolfe's char)_

****

NAYTA TYMBER PACK:

_Ayasha ['little one'] (Alpha, my char)  
Sanyue ['red cloud'] (Main Beta, my char)  
Abeque ['stays at home'] [ (Pup-caretaker, my char)  
Naoki ['trust'] (Trainee, my char)  
Taini ['returning moon'] (Trainee, my char)  
Kaya ['beautiful voice'] (Trainee, my char)_

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The sun was beginning to rise over the tops of the trees as a large dark and light silver wolf emerged from a smooth, stone-walled dip in the earth. He shook a scrap of a dead leaf from his pelt drowsily, taking a deep breath of the cold, crisp air and extending his forelegs in a long stretch.

Although he had slept nearly have of the previous day, along with overnight, he still felt incredibly tired, and maybe a bit weak. The last time he had consumed any food was three days ago when he crossed the Meadow and managed to hunt down a scrawny deer fawn. Those three days seemed more like three weeks.

He lifted his head and scanned the area silently, his vivid green eyes taking everything in. The lush green grass was soaked with dew, and although the sun glowed halfway in the sky, the atmosphere remained cold and musky. His gaze flickered towards the horizon and at the snow-covered mountains. A few birds sang into the morning, and he heard a coyote's howl echo in the distance, but other than that, he couldn't help but feel...

Lonely.

Technically, he wasn't the only wolf around here. Darcia's Army lived in the Canyons, on the outskirts of Paradise. But like he'd ever want anything to do with that bastard; he killed his father. His mother. The entire paradise pack had been wiped out.

And now only Tsuki remained. He did the same daily routine over and over again. He'd fall asleep at night, wake up at dawn, stalk around Paradise's territory, as if searching for other wolves, hunt, then he'd just sit around the entire day and do absolutely nothing.

He had gotten into a bit of fighting action though, with one of Darcia's Guards. A young, lean black female by the name of Pendulum had wandered into the Paradise Territory; he sent her running out so fast her blood didn't have enough time to hit the ground. Tsuki smirked at the memory.

The silver wolf continued his day silently. He hunted, and managed to catch a plump rabbit, devouring it in small bites. It wasn't long after he was finished that a scent hit his nose; it was familliar, but also unfamilliar. No doubt about it, though, it was one of Darcia's Army Members, and it was female. Pendulum, again? It better not be. He curled his lip and stalked forward.

Almost immediantly he spotted a sleek black pelt among the green undergrowth, and spotted the flicker of a blue eye. At first he thought he was mistaken, and it could've been Darcia, but he noticed the wolf had a slender, small frame and both of her eyes were a frosty blue. Either way, she was still one of Darcia's wolves...

He snarled and burst through the trees, ramming into the wolf's shoulder. The other wolf let out a suprised yelp and twisted around, lunging underneath Tsuki and apearing on the other side of him. He blinked, confused, and his hesitation caused him to get pinned down to the ground by the female. He gave his head a fierce shake, his lip curling over his teeth to reveal pearly white fangs.

"Get the hell off me!" he growled, kicking out a backleg and sending her skidding backwards. The blue-eyed wolf merely staggered slightly, but kept on all four paws and glared at Tsuki defiantly. Tsuki glared back, hackles raised.

"Who are you!" he snapped in a rush, eyes flashing. The female wolf finally lost her defensive stance, taking a step back and dipping her head to him. Tsuki's eyes only narrowed even more. He finally got a better look at her; she was skinny, smaller-sized and slender, with a sleek black pelt. Her eyes were blue, and overtop of her left eye was a clawmark, which looked very fresh. Did he give that to her? No, he hadn't gotten the chance to rake his claws down her face, or anywhere else for that matter.

She sighed, "I'm Ravyn, and I'm from Darcia's Pack. You're a Paradise wolf, aren't you?" she asked hopefully. Tsuki growled.

"Canyon Wolf?" he muttered, taking a pace forward. He ignored her question completely, "If your from Darcia's Army, get the hell out of here!"

Ravyn frowned, then sighed in exsasperation, facing the large grey wolf. "Listen. I'm not on Darcia's side anymore. Darcia is my father, as well as my former leader. I wasn't treated fairly and I didn't intend on slaughtering innocent wolves for the sake of staying in the pack. Darcia doesn't technically even care for me and my sibling Razhia, nor did he care for our mother. He made her fall in love with him, and she did, and had his pups. But he only used her for breeding purposes to make the pack larger, and he killed my mother when he found out how 'useless' she was."

Tsuki's gaze was locked on her intently, his head tipped slightly. Was he supposed to attack her? Trust her? He found that hard, considering the fact that this wolf was the offspring of Darcia himself. What did she want exactly, anyways?

"Okay," He began, ears flattening to the side of his head thoughtfully, "But what do you want anyways?"

"To Join the Paradise Pack."

"There IS NO Paradise Pack!"

"Then why are you here? Besides, we could gather up more wolves to make a Paradise Pack! What happened to Kiba's kid, anyways? Blue's too!"

Tsuki glared at her slightly, but finally just sighed and shook his head, "Kiba sent his pregnant mate away from Paradise territory before he was killed by Darcia. Blue too, I believe, though Darcia eventually caught up to her and killed her as well. My sister and I were the only ones who stayed in Paradise. I-I don't know where Sukai is anymore. She left."

"Well then, let's find them!" Ravyn barked, her blue eyes glowing. She refrained from sighing when she noticed the silver and grey wolf narrowed his eyes at her again. She had never met more of a stubborn, suspicious wolf in her entire life.

"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked carefully. Ravyn rolled her eyes, "I never said you had to trust me, but you can atleast try. Besides, If I ever tried something against you, what would be the odds that I would win? You could defeat me without a moment's hesitation."

"Not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"You could still secretly be working for Darcia," Tsuki explained, ears flicking, "You could be trying to gain my trust to lure me into some trap."

Ravyn spat at him, curling her lip in disgust, "No way! I would never work for him." Ravyn insisted. When Tsuki, who still looked completely unconvinced, said nothing, she sighed and continued, "C'mon. This is a chance to make Paradise something again. We could get a bunch of wolves that not even Darcia would want to mess with- hell, we could even get Kiba's daughter! or Blue's kids! Or your sister back!"

Tsuki's eyes glittered as he considered this. Finally, the male turned away, padding into the undergrowth as he spoke, "Fine. But if you do anything that makes me suspicious of you, I'll slit your throat."

And he meant it.

Ravyn dipped her head, trying not to roll her eyes, and followed after Tsuki without a word.

*********

"Get OUT of here, Ayasha! We can't fight them off any longer! We've already lost most of our Beta's, and the pups are obvious targets!"

"Nonsense!" cried a silvery-white female wolf. She blinked constantly, trying to get rid of the blood that dripped quickly down into her glowing amber eyes. The reddish-brown wolf who had called to her cringed, his ears pinned back. Around them were the furious snarls of wolves, and the yelling of humans and the shooting of their guns.

"Please, Sanyue, fight them off!" Ayasha snarled, frustrated. Her pack has had to relocate several times because of different threats, ranging from humans to other, larger wolf packs. She wasn't about to lose her new territory so quickly- they had only moved into it a month ago!

Sanyue hesitated, before dipping his broad head, "Yes, Ayasha." He growled, whipping around and slamming his head into the nearest poacher's side. The human stumbled over and fell onto the ground uneasily. He furiously scrambled on the ground as he tried to get to his gun, which had fallen about a foot away from him, but his attempts were wasted as the massive red and brown wolf leaned down and clamped his jaws around the human's neck, pricking their throat with his fangs. It was over in seconds.

Meanwhile, three pups watched at the edge of the clearing, their eyes wide. Two were male, and the small one between them was female. One of the male pups, along with the female, looked terrified. The other, who was slightly older, looked nervous as well, but a different emotion clouded his striking fiery gaze; anger.

"Taini! Kaya! Oh, Naoki!" Came a whimper, and out rushed a sandy gray-black female from the undergrowth. Her blue-green eyes were distressed, and blood trickled from her flank where she had been shot. Taini, the white male, whined and rushed to the dark-colored wolf's side, Kaya following quickly. The female grabbed Taini by the scruff, streaking into the forest and trying not to limp, as she frantically searched for a place to hide her pup. Kaya followed without hesitation, her yellow-green eyes wild in fear.

Naoki didn't follow however. The jet-black pup crouched low to the ground, watching the scene unblinkingly. He soon felt a muzzle nudge his side furiously, and looked up to see the gray-black wolf. Naoki ducked his head.

"Abeque," he whined, amber eyes glowing, "Where's dad? I can't see-"

He cut off as Abeque merely grabbed him by the scruff and raced off into the forest, soon coming across a small den by the side of a birch tree. Taini and Kaya were already there, huddling against eachother. Naoki squirmed furiously out of Abeque's grip, and once she let go, he whipped around to face her, his soft black pelt fluffed up in irritation.

"Abeque!!" he repeated more angrily this time. Her teal eyes softened in sympathy, and she ducked her head to nudge him towards the other two pups.

"Relax, Naoki." she whispered, crouching low. Naoki pricked his ears at her; he could barely hear her over the screams and snarls of battle in the other clearing. He flinched as a gun went off. Abeque's ears flattened.

"You're father will be fine," she murmured, not meeting his gaze. Naoki stiffened.

She was lying.

"But-" He broke off yet again as more gunshots went off, more closer to them now, over and over again. Two wolves suddenly burst from the undergrowth, and Naoki recognized the reddish-brown pelt of Sanyue and Ayasha, the white Alpha female.

"Abeque," growled Sanyue, approaching her quickly. Sanyue looked the worst; he looked like he had just rolled in a deep puddle of blood. "Get the pups out of here, and try and get out of the territory. Ayasha and I will meet you there."

Abeque's eyes widened in horror, "You and Ayasha were the only ones who made it? No,no!"

"ABEQUE!" he snarled furiously, and she looked up at him in alarm. Naoki had never seen the Beta this cross before.

"Get the fuck out of here!" he snapped, stepping forward and forcing Abeque to step back. Ayasha glanced at Sanyue in warning, but Sanyue basically ignored her look. Finally, Abeque whipped around, heading towards Taini, Kaya and Naoki. "I'm leaving." she muttered as Sanyue stared at her to make sure she left. Naoki knew although Sayue was being harsh, he saw the pain and worry in his amber eyes, and was only being firm to save her.

Suddenly, more gunfire erupted and many humans burst through the forest, shooting furiously at the wolves. Naoki stumbled backwards, and soon felt a hand grab the back of his neck. All he remembered as the scent of blood, the howling, the triumpthant laughing of the humans, and being placed into a steel cage.

Then, a black wave crashed over him, and he fell asleep.

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**(A/N: Well...As you can see, half of it is from Tsuki, the Paradise Wolf's POV, and the other is from Naoki's POV. Naoki will soon be a Paradise Wolf, but his story of how he gets there is pretty tough. I'm not too happy with this chapter [I'm never happy with anything I write, am I?] but hey, there will be more things explained in the next chapter. Remember, this is all based off of RP!)**


	2. trust must be earned

"So how in the hell do you think we'll manage to come across the other wolves whose parents were the original paradise wolves? It's impossible. You know what? I'm really starting to wonder why I even agreed to try and follow up with your stupid plan."

"Oh, shut up. Admit it, you want to follow through with his just as much as I do. I'm sure you want to meet Kiba's pup, don't you? And what about your sister?"

Tsuki's teeth grit and he looked away sharply, "Sukai's gone, and that's that."

"You aren't very optimistic."

"Oh, I'm aware."

Ravyn rolled her eyes and turned away, leaning up against a gnarled trunk of an old oak tree. Although the grey wolf had allowed her to stay in the territory, as well as tell him her plan to try and get the rest of the Paradise Wolves back, she knew he didn't trust her whatsoever. She didn't blame him, however; she was the daughter of one of the most dangerous wolves ever known, and she had served him in his Army as a Guard for a short period of time as well.

Ravyn shifted in the tangled roots of the large trunk, trying to get comfortable. It was nearly midnight, and she was exhausted. She didn't want to sleep in one of the dens in Paradise, it didn't feel right. Instead, she settled down in a deep dip in the earth, the soil eroded away from heavy rain and wind. Tsuki nodded to the sleek black wolf curtly before standing up and passing her.

Ravyn watched him cross the clearing and leap onto on of the boulders. It was the second-largest boulder in the clearing, beside it was the largest. It's smooth, hard surface was now covered in a thin layer of sand and grit. Two massive pawmarks were engraved in the hard stone- Kiba's pawprints.

She sighed and set her head on her paws, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to keep them open. Finally, she became too tired and shut her eyes calmly, refraining from sighing. It felt good to know she wouldn't have to get up at dawn, to patrol a territory, to hunt for hours on end, to train some of the younger wolves. To _kill_. Darcia's Army was brutal, and she didn't understand why any of the wolves in his pack even wanted to serve him. They didn't get anything out of it, except maybe a place to live.

Then again, some wolves are just born cold-hearted and bloodthirsty, right?

Ravyn woke up with a start, leaping to her paws. The overwhelming scent of blood hit her like a brick to the muzzle, nearly making her stumble. She blinked her eyes furiously, trying to get her vision to clear. When it did, her eyes widened.

Three wolves. All were familliar to her. Tsuki was in the middle of it all, fighting off two other male wolves, whose scent could only be from Darcia's Army. She recognized the musculer, lean build of the charcoal black and tan colored male wolf as Volcom, one of the most cunning, feared wolves in Darcia's Army. The other wolf, who was black from head to toe, was...

Oh no.

"Razhia!" she snarled, and within seconds she had rammed into him and pinned him firmly to the ground. Her brother's yellow and golden eyes flashed up at her in irritation, and he leapt up and flung her off of him. Ravyn skid slightly across the ground, but managed to stay upright. Volcom, who had let Tsuki up in suprise, whipped around to face Ravyn, his lips curled back to reveal sharp white teeth.

"You!" he snarled, taking a step towards Ravyn. He bled lightly from his left ear, "Your a traitor to the Army! We should just kill you now!"

Razhia glanced at Volcom sharply, before turning to face his sister again. His shoulders were squared and his hackles had risen, but he didn't move a muscle. Ravyn narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was going to do. She expected for both Volcom and Razhia to lunge at her at once, but the black wolf merely turned to Volcom, muttered something, and turned away and raced out of Paradise's territory, casting Tsuki and Ravyn glares as they left.

Tsuki whipped around to face her almost immediantly. A growl rumbled deep in his throat, and Ravyn couldn't help but flinch slightly. Tsuki began to speak, "Before you came here, I never had a problem with those bastards attacking me," he snapped. Ravyn ducked her head.

"But it can't be my fault! They didn't even know I was here!"

"Liar! I bet this was all set-up!"

"Dammit, your so stubborn! You wouldn't see the truth if It came up and bit you in the ass!"

*********

Naoki shifted on the cold, hard metallic floors of the steel cage. His sides ached, and he felt the stiffness of dried blood on the back of his neck. He lifted his head slightly, only to stiffen.

It hurt. Alot.

He almost jumped when he felt fur brush along either of his sides, and his head whipped around to see two familliar wolf pups. The smoky black pelt of Kaya, and the white and silver pelt of Taini. Kaya was still unconcious, splayed out on her side. Taini, however, was sitting up, his frosty blue eyes glowing in anger, though behind that was raw fear.

Naoki didn't move, fearing that if he did, he'd only hurt himself even more. Instead, the sturdy black pup shuffled to the back of the cage and very carefully set his head down, closing his eyes. Then, suddenly forgetting about the pain, the blood, the cage he was in, he shot up, letting out a high-pitched bark of anger. Where was the rest of the pack? Ayasha? Sanyue? Taini glared at him in alarm, silently willing him to be quiet, but Naoki took no notice of his look, and prowled forward to the front of the cage, peering out. He was set in a cage, which was inside another larger cage. Looking out the bars, he saw a few men sitting at a wooden table, discussing things among themselves loudly.

"So, gentlemen," came one voice, rough with age, "What should we do with the youngsters? Kill 'em? I mean, we could always skin them for their pelts, 'm intrested in the white male. The black male has a nice one as well."

A younger man, looking to be a teenager, shook his head, a cigarette firmly in his lips, "I say we use them for fighting. We'd get alot of money out of that. Forget the white one and the lighter black one, I say we use the oldest for that. You see how strong he is for his age? He'll rip another mutt's throat out without using his full force."

"I agree," the rough-voiced man said, leaning back in his chair. His pale brown eyes narrowed, "But I don't want to get rid of the others. They could be of some use, too. We could always breed the female with another wolf and use her puppies as well."

"Mhm." the other men agreed solemnly, and they left it at that. Without another word, one of the men got up and walked over to the cage. The door was opened to his cage, and a hand reached in. Kaya whimpered, Taini growled, and Naoki snarled. Taini and Kaya pressed themselves to the back of the cage, away from the man's reach. Naoki was about to do the same, when a firm, cold hand grabbed him by his scruff and dragged him out.

Grabbed him right where he had already been injured. Great.

He was thrown to the floor, where he hit his muzzle off the hard cement. He flinched slightly, but managed to stand on all four paws. A small amount of blood trickled from around his muzzle and nose, but the human's didn't seem to care. They stared at him, examined him, and Naoki was left to wonder what they were going to do to him.

"'Okay," the rough-voiced guy finally murmured, standing up again from his chair, coming towards him. Naoki stepped back quickly. "We'll use this one as a fightin' dog. He'll need some training, but I'll look after that. He's young, but older than the others, and alot stronger too. Within a month, he'll already have a craving for the kill." He laughed- one of those cold, stupid laughs that are supposed to sound "evil", but they just end up sounding cheesy and fake.

Over the next few months, Naoki was trained brutally. When he didn't do something he was told, or atleast didn't do something properally, he'd get a fierce beating that usually left him bruised and battered, and only made him more unwilling to do as he was told. Most of the time he didn't anyways, strictly refusing to become subject to the humans, for his pride just wouldn't allow it.

Taini was used for fighting as well, though after awhile he finally gave in and just did what he was supposed to do, mercilessly slaughtering other canines, whether they were purebred dogs or other wolves. Kaya, however, was killed only four months after she had been kidnapped by the humans with Naoki and Taini by another female fighter by the name of Kovo. He had heard she had been kidnapped as well, but didn't hear much about her.

Both Naoki and Taini had grown quite a bit- Naoki was quite big for his age, but as well as being musculer and strong, he was lean and quick. His pelt was blacker than ebony, and his eyes burned like bright flames. Taini was slightly smaller, more slender, though his small size was an advantage- he was extremely swift, with amazing reflexes.

Naoki was pushed into one of the rings one day, a steel-wired muzzle around his jaws, making him unable to do so much as open his mouth. When he was released into the ring, the muzzle was torn off, and the small door in which he came was shut quickly. His lip curled in frustration, and he turned to face the wolf he was up against. In front of him stood a slender female wolf with a sleek blue-grey pelt, the tips of each strand of hair tipped with silver. Her dark blue eyes were narrowed directly at Naoki, and his hackles raised.

Kovo, the wolf who had slaughtered Kaya.

He immediantly lunged forward, his fangs sinking into the soft flesh of Kovo's neck. The female let out a startled growl, which was cut short when Naoki's forepaws flew up and hit her harshly in the muzzle. His eyes narrowed in satisfaction as the sharp, metallic taste of warm blood seeped into his parted jaws. The large black wolf finally let go, knocking into Kovo's shoulder and knocking her over. She was in a bad posistion when he was down. He reared up on his back legs and brought his full weight down on his opponent, pinning her down. However, Kovo quickly reared up and shot forward, her teeth grazing his throat, though Naoki managed to flip underneath her, jump up, and send her sprawling to the ground. Quickly, he spun around and clamped his jaws around her neck, biting down hard. However, he didn't bring himself to use the full force of his jaws, which would've snapped her neck and likely killed her. Instead, he shook his head back and forth violently, his serrated teeth cutting into her flesh. Feeling her flinch under his grip, he let go and stepped back, his maw drenched with her blood. His fiery amber eyes narrowed at the now weakened female.

_This_ was the wolf who killed Kaya?

"Alright, let's round 'em up!" howled a human standing at the edge of the ring. The human's screeched suddenly irritated him, and he spun around once more, his jaws snapping furiously at the human and his teeth leaving marks on the thin glass that seperated them. The man, alarmed, stepped back quickly. Naoki smirked and stepped back, turning away sharply.

"You."

He turned around, ears pinned to the back of his head. Kovo had gotten to her paws, her dark blue gaze locked on Naoki. Her silvery fur was ruffled slightly as she sat on her haunches and adressed him.

"I'm not the bad guy, you know. I'm here for the same reason that you are. I was kidnapped from my pack by the humans as well, and I'm now being forced into killing other innocent wolves," her gaze hardened suddenly, and her jaw tightened, "I don't care who I kill anymore. Whether it's you, your friends, or anyone else in his hell-hole. I'll do anything to get out of here."

"I doubt you'll get out of here by killing as many wolves as you can for the men."

"It's worth a shot."

Naoki scoffed, "Either way, you damn moron, you won't be killing me anytime soon. I actually thought you were going to be a challenge to fight, considering the fact you murdered my friend, who was in fact pretty strong. I was wrong, though. You're lucky _I _didn't kill you."

Kovo glared at Naoki slightly, her jaws parted to say something. She didn't get the chance, however, for a man came up behind her with some sort of contraption that was a steel pole with a loop on the end. She quickly wound it around her neck and pulled her backwards, dragging her out of the ring and back into the clearing where they kept the canines in cages.

Naoki was soon taken back to his enclosure as well, which he shared with his former packmate, Taini. The lean silver and white wolf was gnawing on an old bone, his pearly white teeth glinting as he bit at it furiously. Naoki passed him calmly and sat down in the corner, setting his head on his paws. He let out a sigh, feeling the back of his head sting slightly from the minor wound Kovo had given him. Taini pricked his ears at Naoki and stood up, bounding over to him.

"So, who'd you fight against?" he asked anxiously, "Whoever it was, they obviously were weak. You don't even have a scrape on ya. Was it a female? Ooh! I bet it was, what she look like?! Not an ol' Mexican Wolf, I hope?"

Naoki raised an eyebrow up at the slightly younger male. If there ever was a wolf who couldn't take a damn thing in life seriously, this was him.

"Umph. Female. She was terrible. So pathetic I didn't want to hurt her."

"Was she good-looking?"

"Shut up, Taini."

**(A/N: This chapter is boring as hell. xD next Chapter there will be ALOT more action, especially in Paradise, for there's another wolf coming into the scene. PLEASE REVIEW! YOU MUST!)**

_**-- B L U E Y**_


	3. more fighting, less solving

The day started out slow as usual. Ravyn slept in her usual spot- a dip in the earth on the other side of the clearing, a very uncomfortable shelter. Tsuki, who was usually up before dawn, hadn't moved from his den. Concerned, the slender black wolf got to her paws and poked her muzzle into the cave-like entrance to his den. Inside, she heard a low growl.

"Go away,"

"I'm bored,"

"That's nice. Get lost."

Ravyn frowned and sat down stubbornly outside his den, growling all the while. If she made enough noise, it would irritate him. If he got irritated, he'd get pissed off enough to finally come out of his den.

It worked.

Moments later, a silver and grey blur flew past Ravyn, almost knocking her over. Startled, she backed up, tripping over a root in the ground, and landed clumsily flat on her back. She opened her blue eyes to gaze up and find her eyes meet the angry light green of Tsuki's.

"Thats what you get for forcing me to wake up," the young male barked, jerking his head back in exsasperation and turning away. Rolling her eyes, Ravyn got to her paws and gave her pelt a good shake.

"So what is it that's so important, that made you so eager to disrupt me and my sleeping?" he growled, turning to face her. Ravyn had to hold back from doing something in amusement- his anger wasn't so intimidating anymore, just funny. He got angered _so_ easily.

Ravyn shrugged and turned away, stretching out beneath the shade of an ash tree. Tsuki frowned, but followed her and sat down in a patch of sunlight that filtered through the tree, "You wake me up, just so you can go rest yourself?"

"No," Ravyn replied, lifting her head to face the silvery-colored wolf, "I just, you know, want to do something. Sure, it's nice here and everything, but _all_ we do is lounge around, hunt and sleep. What kind of life is that?"

"A peaceful one."

"Ha-Ha. No, seriously. We should go off and try and find other wolves to make this pack bigger! What if Darcia's pack decides to suddenly invade?"

"We aren't going to just go and ask random wolves to join our pack," Tsuki pointed out, "But I suppose you are right. We should seize the oppurtunity to make this pack larger somehow."

"We could find the rest of the Paradise Wolves!" The black wolf craned her neck towards him excitedly. Tsuki's frown only deepened.

"We can't," the grey argued, "Who knows where they are? Who knows if they are even alive?" He shook his head, "No. We aren't going to search for them, Ravyn, we just aren't."

"What if they find us and Paradise, though?"

"Then...they, um, find Paradise and us?"

Ravyn rolled her eyes, sitting up. She gave up with this guy. About to turn away and walk off, her shoulders suddenly stiffened and she lifted her head. Ravyn's bright gaze snapped over to meet Tsuki's anxious stare.

"What is it?" he prompted, getting to his paws. Ravyn did the same quickly, pricking her ears forward and lifting her muzzle to scent better. She caught the faint scent of another wolf- female, and distinctly unfamilliar, or atleast to her.

"I scent another wolf," she admitted slowly, her ears flattening against her skull. Beside her, Tsuki's ears pricked forward.

"Who?" he demanded firmly, his lip curling, "From Darcia's Army? Do you think this wolf is a threat? Or is there more than one?"

"Shut up!" she hissed boldly, stepping forward. Tsuki didn't look pleased at her request, but either way, the musculer wolf fell obediantly silent. Soon Tsuki's green eyes lit up with curiousity as the scent grew stronger, and it was obvious this wolf was coming in their direction.

"Come on," Ravyn nudged the larger wolf forward, her tail swishing. Tsuki's paws stayed glued to the ground, however, his eyes narrowing. A breeze ruffled his fur, and he lifted his head high. Ravyn halted as well, her gaze locked on him. The two wolves stood in silence for a moment, before a howl sliced through the air.

And it was awfully close.

The fur on Tsuki's neck bristled slightly, and soon he tipped his head back and let out a howl that made Ravyn's eyes widen. It was extremely loud, and any wolf from miles away could've heard it, but it was also very song-like and smooth. His call ended, and he bowed his head, ears pricked forward, as he waited for a response. None came.

"Dammit," he murmured, though it was so low Ravyn barely heard him. She sighed inwardly, knowing that although the grey wolf didn't like to admit it, he wanted Paradise to grow just as much as she did.

"I'm sure-" she cut off as another howl split the air. It was identical to Tsuki's, it just didn't have as much power, and more of a soft, song-like tone. It was the same howl they had heard before, except now it was even louder.

Both wolves shot up their heads, eyes narrowed, and almost immediantly they spot another wolf at the edge of the territory. She was slender and very long-legged, and had a pelt whiter than snow. Her eyes were a striking amber. Ravyn noticed Tsuki's muscles tense, and his jaw tighten. He didn't only seem defensive, but he also seemed suprised at something.

"Hey!" Ravyn called out, stepping forward, but Tsuki pressed his shoulder against her's to nudge her out of the way. The black wolf fell silent in submission, though otherwise didn't move. The white female narrowed her eyes warily at the two, but said nothing. Tsuki strode forward, keeping his head high and eyes narrowed sharply.

"Who are you?" he growled, though he wasn't as unfriendly as usual. When the female didn't answer, he continued, "Where are you from?"

The white wolf rolled her eyes suddenly, turning towards him. Her stance was suddenly very exsasperated, and she didn't look intimidated by the larger silver wolf at all, "I don't tell _anyone, anything_ about me unless I know about them first," she responded, lifting her head. Tsuki growled slightly, though muttered, "I'm Tsuki, and this is Ravyn," he briefly swished his tail in her direction, "And you've entered our territory."

"What territory is this? Or pack?"

"You've entered Paradise."

All three wolves fell silent. Ravyn, looking confused. Tsuki, looking annoyed, and the other female, just looking plain shocked. Slowly, Ravyn and Tsuki raised an eyebrow at her expression.

"Well?" Tsuki growled, stepping forward, and forcing the female to step back. "We've told you about us, I want to know about you. Whats your name, eh?"

"Raikou," she replied swiftly, her amber eyes sparking like flames, "Look, who was your father? Your parents?"

"...Huh?"

"Who are you related to!" she snarled, her ears flattening against her skull. Ravyn blinked in suprise, while Tsuki bared his teeth at her.

"My father was Tsume," he breathed, lifting his head, "The Beta of the Paradise Wolves, who had been slaughtered by Darcia," Beside him, Ravyn flinched slightly, though he continued on, "I'm the only Paradise wolf left in this place."

Raikou blinked her amber eyes and crouched down slightly, turning her light gaze to Ravyn, "What about you?"

"Me? I-"

Tsuki interrupted her, "Her father was Darcia," he explained curtly. Raikou's teeth suddenly flashed and she turned her now blazing eyes to Ravyn, who flinched once more. Tsuki's eyes narrowed.

"You seem quite intrested in this place," he muttered, narrowing an eye at her. Raikou managed to peel her harsh gaze away from Ravyn and over to Tsuki, "So who are you really? Why'd you come here, anyways?"

The white wolf finally sighed, getting silently to her paws, "You might not believe me, but I've travelled far to find this place," she responded, her claws raking the stone beneath her paws, "I'm Raikou, daughter of Kiba, the former leader of Paradise."

********

The faint sunlight shimmered down on the steel bars of a cage, revealing the large canine inside of it. Beside the jet-black wolf stirred two others; a slender blue-grey female, and a silvery-white timber wolf. The female stuck to one side of the cage, however, avoiding the glares cast from the black wolf, which were directed at her.

"I don't know why you hate her so much, Naoki," growled the silver male, "She's really-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Taini," snarled the black wolf. His amazing fiery eyes were narrowed, "She killed Kaya! Your sister!"

Taini merely shrugged, "She wasn't much of a wolf anyways. Pathetic, weak. Besides, around here, it's kill or be killed. Kovo had no choice."

Naoki bared his teeth, "You're fucked. You don't feel anything, anymore, Taini? You'd go ahead and kill me?"

"Hey, hey, wait, Naoki-"

"Shut up," the black wolf spat, his maw tensed, "I don't want to hear it. You know what? I don't care anymore." He turned his gaze towards Kovo, "You aren't even a real wolf anymore. You help the humans. Whenever someone tries to escape from this torture cell, your sent after them. You either kill them or bring them back, don't you?"

Kovo stood to her feet, neck fur bristling, "No! That isn't-"

She cut off as something slammed into her, pinning her up against the side of the cage. Taini's eyes widened in alarm and he scrambled backwards and away from the wolves, who were now locked in a gruesome fight. Jaws snapped, claws sliced, snarls echoed throughout the entire building, silencing every other animal in cages around them.

Finally, the two wolves backed off, Naoki bleeding heavily from the side of his face, while Kovo's neck was now mangled. Panting, Kovo backed up and crouched on her haunches. Naoki curled his lip and leaned against the bars of the cage.

"That was completely unnceccasary," Kovo breathed, her blue eyes glinting as her gaze locked on the terrible wound she gave him, "You just got your face screwed up for no damn reason."

"It's nothing but a cut. It'll heal before you know it," Naoki retorted calmly. Kovo growled, but said nothing else. The wolves sat in a tense, awkward silence for a few moments, before Naoki noticed something behind Taini.

The bars had been bent badly from the impact of their fighting. He flashed a warning glare at Kovo before turning and striding towards the enlarged bars. Kovo narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Naoki clamped his jaws around one of the bars and pulled with all his strength. Slowly, they began to twist and become larger.

"Dude," he suddenly whispered, his gaze bright and completely forgetting about his anger and fight with Kovo. His teeth bared in a grin, and he continued to tug at the bars. Taini, who was at his side, watched with wide eyes. A small amount of blood ran down the side of his jaws from his harsh attempt at trying to make the bars part enough so he could slip through.

He stood back finally, his ears flattened to the side of his head, and looked at the space. It was alot larger than before, and it he tried...

Naoki shot forward, squeezing through the bars of his cage. He barely fit, but he managed to climb out. His claws clicked on the cement floor as he slowly strode forward and past the other dozens of cages, trying to find the exit. He glanced back to see Taini following after him, and Kovo slowly slunk out of the cage as well.

"HEY! The wolves got out!"

Naoki's head shot up immediantly, and without thinking of where he was actually going, shot off like a bullet through the warehouse. Soft paws were at his side soon, and he glanced over to see Kovo's wild blue eyes. His eyes narrowed. Where was Taini?

Soon, the lean male was at his other flank, keeping up with him. He winced as he heard gunshots ring through the air, and in their direction.

_Dammit, we won't make it out of here alive_, he thought darkly, lengthening his strides. A bullet shot past his head, barely missing his ear, when he spotted a way out up ahead.

"C'mon!" he howled, twisting around a corner with Taini and Kovo hard on his heels. He was about to burst through the doors and out to freedom, away from here, when a man skid in front of him, blocking the way. In his hands he held firmly a black machine gun, pointed directly at Naoki's forehead. All three wolves skid to a halt, bristling.

Naoki backed up and growled, his eyes glittering as he thought madly. Attack the man? Dodge the bullets and take off? Or just surrender?

Attack.

A wave of malice hit him like a thousand bricks as he surged forward, teeth bared, and soon he felt his jaws clamped around warm, soft human flesh, and the salty, metallic taste of blood. His jaws fell open, and the limp body fell to the ground. He was dead.

Kovo's eyes widened, but she turned and leapt over the body and outside, "Hurry! Before the others come!"

Naoki maneuvered his way around the human's body and raced off after Kovo, Taini following. The other male remained silent, though he felt the wolf's excitement coming off of him in waves. Kovo slowed down, and Naoki soon came up to her side.

"We have to use our human forms," Naoki muttered as he came up beside her. Kovo groaned and threw her head back.

"Do we have to?" Kovo whined as Taini came up on her other side. Naoki rolled his eyes and responded dryly, "Unless you want poachers after us like we're somebody's lost mutt, then yes, we do. We'll just seem like another citizen around here and we'll be left alone."

Taini sighed, and Kovo did as well, but finally she turned sharply and halted in an alleyway. The two males followed.

Kovo turned to face Naoki and Taini sharply, an eyebrow raised. "You two are going first," she growled, sitting down calmly. Naoki flicked his ear at her irritably. Why the hell was she acting like showing your human form as a bad thing? It was something to use for survival.

Naoki glared at her, still not pleased at the idea of escaping with one of the wolves he truely hated, and turned away. Soon, he slipped into his human form, which was that of a tall teenager with shaggy, slightly spiked and flipped jet-black hair. His eyes, fiery amber in wolf form, were now a piercing dark blue.

"Happy?" he growled, smoothing down his clothing, which were dark jeans and a black and silver T-shirt. Kovo blinked at him for a moment, before turning her gaze away. Taini grinned and slid to her side.

"Ooh. Nice look," he commented, grinning madly, "You have a little crush now, don't you?" he lifted his head up, smiling away, only to get snarled at and knocked to the ground. Kovo lingered over him, ears flattened.

"Hurry. Up." she commanded, tail lashing. Behind her, Naoki raised an eyebrow, waiting for Taini to get his act together. Rolling his teal eyes, the silver and white wolf leapt to his paws, morphing quickly into a teen with shaggy blonde hair and teal blue eyes. Kovo very hesitantly went into her own human form, which was a tall, rather attractive teenage girl with black, layered hair, bright blue eyes, a grey t-shirt and black shaded jeans. Naoki growled and turned out of the alleyway, leaving his companions to follow.

"So where are we heading now?" Taini asked, walking at his side once more. Kovo reluctantly went to his other side, keeping her gaze locked on her tennis shoes. Naoki shrugged, "I don't know where you two are headed, but I'm going to find a pack. One that I can be loyal to."

Kovo blinked and lifted her head, before instead looking back down at the ground as she walked. Naoki narrowed an eye at her, but said nothing. Taini stretched slightly, yawning, "Oh. Well, I'll be-"

He broke off and halted, turning around after finally realizing he was walking alone. Halfway down the sidewalk, Naoki and Kovo were arguing over something, and looking quite pissed off while doing it.

Taini arched an eyebrow, leaning against a building wall boredly as he waited for their fight to end.

"If they are going to be like this the entire time, I'm going off on my own."

**(A/N: Sorry if it seemed rushed, not only did I write this extremely quickly, but I was high on tylenol while doing so. Sigh. I had a headache, okay? Next chapter will likely be better too- I'll be bringing more of Volcom and Darcia in. Mwuahaaa! PLEASE REVIEW!)**

**- b l u e y**


	4. unwanted suprises

A howl echoed across the moon-bleached floor of the dark, leaf-covered forest. The silence following the wolf's cry was ominous, but soon after the heavy sounds of paws hitting the ground at a fast pace broke the silence. Two wolves, one very slender and long-legged, the other, musculer and lean, were in hot pursuit of a different wolf, it's tail streaming after it as it fought to get away.

"Help me! Hel-" it cried as the other two wolves closed in, the larger wolf's powerful jaws snapping down inches away from the soft flesh of it's throat. The unfortunate wolf whined and fell onto it's haunches, it's grey and white belly fur brushing the earth beneath him.

"Please Volcom," he panted, gazing up at the broad-shouldered male. Volcom's fiery eyes glinted as his black-pelted companion came to his side. "Don't do this. Get away from Darcia- you have the chance! You're nothing but a kid right now, and you've chose to slaughter? For what? Darcia will kill you once he realizes how useless you are. Don't do it, Volcom- get away, like what I'm trying to do."

The charcoal black and gold wolf merely bared his teeth, his tail swishing irritably, "Shut up, you old hag. Darcia has promised to give me the rank of Second In Command of the entire pack in only three months. You aren't very smart- what were you planning to do once you escaped from us? Go to those Paradise fools?" The young wolf grinned, exposing his razor-sharp fangs even more, "That would do nothing for you. This is Darcia's time now- he'll rule Paradise, and you won't be fortunate enough to be there for it."

The older wolf's blue eyes widened, "Volcom, what do-"

"Kill him, Pendulum," Volcom growled softly, ears pinning back. The female wolf nodded, her green eyes glowing, and streaked forward. Her head jerked up with extreme precision, and made two massive cuts at the base of his throat. Blood soaked through the leaves and stained the dark earth, and all of this occured before the old wolf had a chance to even attempt to get away.

The sleek black wolf lifted her head, blood dripping from her teeth, her jaws parted. Volcom nodded in satisfaction and rose back to his paws, his black claws raking the dirt under paw as he turned away. Pendulum wordlessly followed, stretching out her long black legs. None of them seemed at a daze at what just happened, and neither of them seemed to care.

It was just another chore to do for Darcia.

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

"Those were Kiba's pawprints. That's the boulder he would stand on to announce things to his pack,"

Tsuki's green gaze was locked on the slender white female wolf in front of him, who was standing on the massive granite boulder. He had jumped up beside her on a boulder beside the one she was on, which was ever so slightly smaller, "This one was the Beta's, my father's."

She turned to look at him, one of her golden eyes narrowed, "How do you know this?" she asked with guarded curiousity.

"I was nearly five moons old when Kiba, Tsume, along with the others were slaughtered by Darcia," the male shrugged it off, "So I do remember a few things."

"Oh," she responded quietly, and averted her gaze away from him. Tsuki shrugged once again, and looked out onto the horizon.

Raikou's striking amber gaze examined every single thing in the clearing, from every blade of grass to every bird that flew by in the sky. Now she ran her forepaws along the rough edges of the large rock, her eyes glowing as thoughts raced through her mind.

"Wow," she breathed, finally sitting down. Behind her and Tsuki, Ravyn was sitting on a gnarled, worn old log, digging her claws into it's soft bark. She felt more alone and judged more than ever now. Raikou looked at her as if she would turn against them any second, and even though Tsuki was fairly kind to her, she knew he dispised her and didn't trust her anymore than Raikou did.

_This isn't fair_, the young female thought, her blue eyes glowing in anger, _I wasn't even born when Darcia did those things. I was the one who ran away from him and his brutal army, so I wouldn't have to commit horrible crimes like he did._

Ravyn sighed darkly and turned her gaze to the sky; it was beginning to darken, and night was approaching quickly. Without a word to Tsuki and Raikou, she passed them and headed to her den early.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Tsuki!"

It had been three days now since Raikou had arrived in paradise, and she was now a permanent member of their small three-member pack. Even though Raikou had been The Leader's daughter, Ravyn recognized Tsuki as her Alpha at the moment, so she adressed him whenever she came across something, and she had definitely come across something now.

The well-muscled grey turned to face her as Ravyn skid to a rough halt directly in front of him. She took a few paces back, before beginning to speak.

"There's another wolf in our territory who doesn't apear to be from Darcia's Army. I spotted her south of the lakeshore, near the meadow, I believe. She isn't doing anything at the moment, but I'm not sure if she's part of another pack who is nearby or not."

Tsuki's ears pricked forward immediantly, and soon Raikou joined them.

"Thank you," Tsuki flicked his ears at her, "But it's fine. I don't think she'll be a threat to us at this point."

Ravyn hesitated, but nodded and began to turn away. She began to cross the grassy, rugged terrain of the clearing, but she glanced back at Tsuki and Raikou just in time to see a slim reddish-brown shape bowl directly into Tsuki's side.

"....What the hell?!"

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**  
**The faint light of a silver crescent moon, floating high in the darkest ebony sky, washed down on the forest clearing, making the leaves on the trees shimmer luxuriously. A soft breeze murmured through the undergrowth, and soon the faint breeze escalated to a full-blown surge of cold wind, causing the trees to shudder violently. A young teenager stepped into the clearing, the shaggy front of his jet-black hair falling down into his eyes, which glowed as they shifted to each part of the clearing; from the darkest, tiniest corner to the largest dip in the earth.

"I think we should rest here for awhile," he said, his voice containing the smallest amount of an accent of some sort, "Just for the remainder of the night, atleast. We've been travelling for two days straight, without stopping to rest. Besides, there's a storm coming, I can sense it, and I can tell with my own two eyes that it isn't going to be a pretty one, either."

Two more young people entered the leaf-covered clearing, their eyes narrowed as they gazed around as well. The younger of the two, a slender girl, curled her lip in disgust and put a hand on one of her hips, looking around the forest area scornfully. The blonde teen at her side merely shrugged and gave a long stretch, before turning and walking away from her and over to the rough side of a trunk of a tree, leaning against it.

The girl went up to the other teen's side, looking up at him; his eyes were hidden by locks of spiked black hair, "Next time, Naoki," she growled, rubbing her palms on the sides of her skinny jeans anxiously, "Try and find some place that actually has some proper shelter- and it's so damn _filthy_!"

Naoki grinned and angled his head to glance down at her, "There _is_ shelter here, Kovo. If it rains, we can always take cover in that tree formation over there," he motioned over to an area at the side of the clearing where several gnarled and worn branches had weaved together, vines and other leafy plants growing all through it, would be a rather efficient shelter if it did begin to storm, for not alot of rain would be able to slip it's way between that. The top of it had been formed almost like the roof for a human's building- so rain would slide off the sides of it, and not drip into it, "And as for filth, Kovo, you'll have to deal with it. Since when have you been so disgusted by a little bit of dirt, eh?"

"Oh, shut it," she snarled, her sidebangs falling down into her eyes as she turned away from him. Naoki watched as the bad-tempered female morphed quickly into her wolf form and went to the opposite side of the clearing from where Naoki and Taini sat, and went to the side of a large boulder. She ran her claws briefly down the harsh surface of the rock, making an unpleasant sound, before turning and laying down beside it and setting her head silently on her paws.

Taini had also gone into his wolf form, laying on his back with his belly exposed and his paws flopped to the side. The silver wolf was fast asleep, and by now, Kovo was as well. Restless and unable to think of getting sleep at this point, Naoki went into the form of a musculer wolf with a jet-black pelt, and slid past the wild thicket of a thorn bush, careful not to rake his sides down the bush. His amber eyes danced like flames as he took in the unfamilliar surroundings, and soon he left the clearing and his two companions in it to explore the forest.

Before the three wolves had made it to the forest and mountain side, they had been travelling through the busy city, which was a bit of a challenge for the wolves. They constantly had to stay in their human forms- something all three of them disaproved of and Kovo complained about over and over again. Each of them knew, however, if they didn't stay in their human forms, they wouldn't be treated like normal citizens walking the streets like every normal person does, but they'd be tracked down, caught, and if they didn't pass for dogs, people would probably realize they were wolves and either send them to an illicit labratory somewhere, some sort of wildlife sanctuary, or most likely, euthanized.

Now the three wolf-blooded canines were free to go into any form they wanted. Not many humans, such as hunters, wandered this deep into the forest during the day, let alone when it's night and nearly impossible to see into the dark depths of the forest- you never know what lurks in the shadows.

The massive body of the lean wolf shot forward, nothing but a sleek blurr. His large, powerful paws hit the ground suprisingly quietly, and his ears were pinned back against his skull, his body so close to the ground that his belly fur brushed the earth, and his head was dipped. He gained speed incredibly quickly, and soon he was far away from the temporary campsite he had set up with Kovo and Taini. Not a problem, however. He could easily navigate back to the clearing.

His muscles rippled smoothly like a wave beneath his soft black pelt as he made his way calmly through the undergrowth, and soon found himself standing at the edge of a high-set cliff. He gazed down and over the ledge. He couldn't even see the bottom, it apeared to go on for miles. His boredom got the best of him, for he was so concentrated on trying to see the bottom of the endless drop of the cliff that he didn't notice a lean silver wolf come up behind him.

"Naoki!" it barked, and he whipped around to see Taini, fur bristling and eyes wide, staring at him wildly. Looking more closely, Naoki noticed that his companion was bleeding from multiple injuries- some wounds were minor, others were massive, deep gashes that would need to be treated almost immediantly.

"What...?" Naoki shook his head and bounded over to his side, "Taini, what the hell happened to you? Why're you-"

"Kovo," he panted as his two back legs gave out on him, and Naoki noticed that they were completely and utterly soaked in his own blood, and bent in an awkward posistion. Naoki briefly wondered how he managed to come all this way to find him with those injuries, though he pushed those thoughts aside and turned back to him as Taini began to speak again, "K-Kovo is back in the clearing fighting them off. I-I don't know where they came from, but there are alot of them, and-"

"Wait," Naoki ordered, and Taini obeyed without having a choice, "Who are you talking about? Who are 'they'?"

"Another pack of wolves," Taini whined, his teal eyes gleaming with a mixture of anger and agony- there was something else in his expression as well, though. Fear? The younger silver and white wolf was only able to hold himself up by his forelegs, and Naoki had to wince inwardly. Taini wasn't going to survive over night with those injuries- and even if he did, if they weren't treated soon and if they weren't treated properally, he'd get infection and no doubt die a slow, painful death.

"Okay," Naoki replied, backing away, "Stay here Taini, and whatever you do, don't move. Try and take care of your wounds, and I'll try to make it back as soon as possible, with Kovo, alright?"

Then all of a sudden, Taini's blue eyes grew wide and he fought to scramble to all four paws, "NO! Kovo is-"

"Taini!" the black wolf snarled, his teeth bared as he impatiently began to jump from one paw to the other, "I don't have time for this. Sit your ass down, shut up, and I'll be back!"

Naoki shot off like a bullet into the dark forest, sending dirt flying up from his back paws. Taini let out another whine and finally allowed himself to fall over and onto his side, letting his painful back legs splay out to the side. He then buried his muzzle into his paws, shaking his head slowly.

"He can't go near her, he can't go near her..."

**________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**(A/N: Not edited, just because I'm lazy : D**

**Hm. I wonder why Naoki can't go near 'her'. **

**....heh.**

**Anyways, It's been a long time since I added another chapter of this story. I'm trying to speed some of the events up slightly, like in Naoki's story for instance, but I'm also trying to make it understandable and clear. *...is very bad at making things understandable and clear***

**Enjoy, if you can *_* )  
**

**- b l u e y**

**PS; I love Volcom, X3**


	5. hell won't be so bad

Tsuki's stance isn't too hostile, though he certainly does look on the defensive side. The wolf that bowled into him, however, merely scrambles to her paws, nearly falling over onto her side all over again in a clumsy attempt to stand, and faces him, her blue eyes bright. They look clear, icy, and very light; like glaciers. Her pelt is a sleek reddish-brown and tan, more reddish, while around one of her paws are four golden bangles.

_Toboe_, is the first thought that hits Ravyn. There's no doubt she resembles the old paradise wolf very much, and considering she has the bangles, it wouldn't be a suprise. Raikou steps up to Tsuki's side, the two taller wolves standing shoulder to shoulder. Ravyn suddenly realizes just how much those two resemble their parents; Tsuki, head held high, his green gaze accusing, much like Tsume's. While Raikou looks calm, collected, yet fearlessly cautious. Just like Kiba. Ravyn quickly rushes over to their side, her neck fur bristling ever so slightly.

"Who are you?" The gray male asked, his shoulders squared and his ears pricked forward. The female wolf hesitated, and immediantly Raikou's gaze of amber narrowed. Finally, she shrugged and brightened a bit.

"I'm Tracy," she replied, her vivid gaze bright and she looked rather excited to see the other wolves, "I had a feeling I'd come across some others- I scented other wolves around here for awhile." She glanced from Tsuki, to Raikou, and lastly to Ravyn, "Who are you guys?"

Tsuki and Raikou exchanged a brief glance, before turning their gazes back to Tracy, "I'm Tsuki, the son of the Paradise's Beta, Tsume." He flicked his silver-tipped tail towards Raikou, preparing to introduce her to Tracy himself, but the white female stepped forward stubbornly, "I'm Raikou, daughter of Kiba. That's Ravyn," She glanced towards the sleek black female without explaining who her parents were, "You're lucky you found the real paradise grounds instead of the Canyon, where the army wolves live."

Tracy opened her mouth to ask something, but Tsuki interrupted her suddenly, "The braclets," He said shortly, nodding to the bangles around her forepaw, "Those belonged to Toboe, a paradise wolf. He was your father, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah," the young wolf nodded, though she offered no more information as she turned to them again, "What do you mean about the canyon wolves? What if I did end up wandering in their territory?"

"Darcia," Tsuki began, flattening an ear, "The alpha of the army. He slaughtered our parents, every single one of them, and they're just determined to do the same thing to us." He watched as Tracy's eyes widened.

"Wait- so he has an entire pack? A whole army?" She blinked slightly, "How many wolves?"

"Many. Based on the look of things, they outnumber us by far. A couple hundred wolves, I suppose." Tsuki sighed and shook his head, "They've got some pretty powerful wolves on their side, too."

Tracy nodded slightly, before looking over at Ravyn, "Are you three the only ones here so far?"

Ravyn nodded curtly.

"Who were your kin?"

Ravyn's eyes narrowed hesitantly, her crystal blue eyes briefly flashing a violet-blue. Finally, she just shook her head and lifted her chin.

"My father was Darcia, the leader of the Canyon Wolves. I am not loyal to him, I'm loyal to paradise," Seeing a flicker of uncertainty in Tracy's gaze only irritated her even more, but before she could go on, Tsuki stepped in front of her.

"..Let's just show you the main camp, shall we, Tracy?"

**_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

"You were the one who murdered Taini!" Naoki snarls, prowling towards Kovo dangerously. The silvery and white female backs up warily, until she has no where else to go, and has no choice but to press up against the oak tree behind her. Her blue eyes flicker with uncertainty, but they glow with fierce anger at the black wolf in front of her.

"I had no choice," she replied calmly, her voice faltering slightly, "They were going to kill me, then go after you, Naoki! Besides," Kovo jerked up her head, her eyes of saphire lighting up, "That mutt was useless to us, nothing but a nuisance. He'd slow us down, if anything at all, and you know it."

The young black wolf looked away, his fiery eyes glancing down briefly at the scars that travelled up his muscled forearms and paws. He still bore marks from the steel cuffs the humans once used to restrain him, and right at his wrists, were four slits; made by another wolf's jaws. _Kovo's_ jaws.

"I don't care," He sighed, looking back up at her, then at the tree and clearing behind her. Naoki had arrived at a clearing, where Kovo awaited, blood pulsing from her thin jaws, surrounded by another pack of wolves, who had forced Kovo to murder Taini, or atleast break his back legs so he was unable to walk. Once Naoki arrived, the wolves immediantly left the area, leaving Naoki to confront Kovo wordlessly. He had left briefly to check on Taini, who, had died from the bloodloss.

"I don't care," Naoki repeated, "But you shouldn't of done that, you idiot. That just makes you look even more pathetic than you already are." His lip curled, revealing sharp white teeth, "You should of called for me."

"I couldn't of!" She snapped, her jaws parting angrily, "They would've leapt on me and torn my insides out If I would've done it, and you know it! There was this one big wolf...he was fucking huge, and black, with these weird mitch-matched eyes..."

"I don't care!" Naoki said once again, more angrily this time, "You...just..ugh. I'm leaving." Kovo's eyes widened and she took a step towards him, "_Without_ you!" He barked quickly.

"..._Fine_," she growled, lashing her tail and taking that quick step backwards and away from him. Wordlessly, Naoki spun around on his heels, sending up tufts of grass and earth from his back claws, and disapeared into the dark forest, heading towards the South. He left Kovo behind for good.  
**_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

He's to her left, hidden to anyone's gaze but her own. He's only a bit older than she is, with short, shaggy blond hair that spikes at the back and flips at the ends. His menacing, wolf-like gaze of fiery amber and electric blue are focused on something unseen, and he slips one of his hands silently into the pockets of his shaded black and grey jeans. His hand brushes against the silver chain hanging from one of his beltloops, and immediantly, the teenager freezes. A normal human being would unlikely be able to hear the faint sound of the chain, but a _wolf_ certainly would be able to.

"Pendulum?" He whispers, so quietly and so lowly even she barely hears him. Pendulum has already morphed, deciding there would be no point to go into her other form at this point, and like a shadow, she slinks across the alleyway and over to his side, her emerald eyes glowing in the darkness. "Can you scent him, Volcom?" She asks, her voice smooth and slow. Volcom smiles, revealing teeth that are pearly white and, to a sharp eye, unusually _pointed_.

"Yeah," he replies, his voice smooth and quiet. His eyes flicker briefly across the stone walls of the alleyway, before his eyes suddenly begin to change color. The fiery amber color rimming the blue of his eyes is suddenly slowly replaced and taken over by the gold, and soon, the entire iris of his eye is a striking fiery reddish-amber, and his features becoming very wolf-like. He then morphs, his form a lean-muscled tall wolf with a sandy-colored pelt, though large jet-black patches make up the most of his fur color.

Volcom strides forward, and Pendulum stays silent and follows her companion, keeping her paws lightly on the ground. He halts once more at the very end of the alleyway, slowly poking his muzzle out into the open. A low growl erupts in the back of his throat as his head shoots back and towards her, "He's sensed us," he mutters exsasperatedly, "He's began heading away from here, his scent is beginning to fade. We'll have to follow him."

"Oh, fun," Pendulum muttered, swishing her tail irritably a few times. Volcom ignores her, striding past the black wolf and down the sidewalk, which is suddenly devoid of any other life. Staying low, she follows him.

"Do you think he poses a threat to us or the rest of the Army, though?" She whispers, crossing into the next alleyway at his side. Volcom flicks his tail along her flank in irritation, merely replying, "Shut up, he's close, and he'll be able to hear you."

Pendulum rolls her eyes and stays silent, refraining from muttering something underneath her breath. She trots at his side, her emerald gaze fixed on the filthy brick sidewalk ahead of her, before she sees a large shadow out of the corner of her eye.

"Volcom, watch out!"

Pendulum shoots backwards as another male slams into her friend's side, nearly bowling the large army wolf over. Getting a good glimpse of him, she sees Volcom's attacker is a male, nearly as big as Volcom himself, with a pelt, so dark and so black, he nearly blends in with the dark shadows of the alley. His scorching eyes glow; they are the literal color of fire.

Volcom whips around, grabbing his opponent firmly by the back of the neck and flips him over so he is on his back, his stomache vunerable and victim to a good score of Volcom's razor sharp claws. Before he can slash his claws down the soft flesh of his belly, however, the black wolf rolls out of the way, flipping and gliding beneath Volcom, where he snaps his jaws over his tail and backs up, causing the sandy-colored male to waver unsteadily on his back paws and fall flat, but very harshly, on his back. Soon, Volcom is pinned. But Pendulum won't let him be stuck for very long.

"Get out of here!" Pendulum snarls, bowling into his side and causing him to be knocked over. By the time he can do so much as start to get to his paws, both army wolves stand over him, their teeth bared.

"You little _bitch_," Volcom hisses, his jaws parted and ears pinned back, "I will tear your throat out and feed it to the fucking crows if you don't give me a good explanation of why the hell you're here!"

"Oh, so you own the city now, eh?" The dark-pelted wolf spits, ears flattened against his skull in aggression. The two males glare at eachother, amber meeting fiery gold, before Pendulum rolls her eyes and steps between them.

"No, we don't own the city," Pendulum replies steadily, taking a step back, "However, you had no reason to leap on him, dammit!"

"If I hadn't of done it first, _you_ would have!"

"_No_!" Volcom snarls, and Pendulum shoots him a silencing glare.

"Who are you?" The slender female finally says calmly, turning her deep green gaze to him. The black wolf hesitates, before sighing and getting to his paws.

"Naoki," he responds dryly, "Now who are you?"

Volcom and Pendulum both narrow their eyes at Naoki coldly, before exchanging a glance with one another. Finally, Volcom strides forward, muscles rippling beneath his sleek pelt.

"Well, Naoki, it seems you've been _unfortunate_ enough to come across the two of us," He grins, baring his fangs, "This is Pendulum, my oh-so lovely accomplice," He flicks his tail at her sarcastically, and the female nods to him curtly. "While _I _am Volcom, the Second In Command of Darcia's Army. Yes," his eyes glitter as he watches Naoki's eyes widen, "I am the second commander of an entire army of wolves. And, Naoki, it looks like you're going to get a full-blown tour of our territory. You're coming with us."

**_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**{A/N: Yikes, sorry for not updating in, like, ever! I've been...busy...in my own way.**

**Reviews are highly appreciated!**

**...and I didn't edit it xD If you find Typos, I'm really sorry, just try to ignore them. I'm usually good with Typos, though}**

**- b l u e y ***


	6. something to change you forever

**- - -**  
Wait, how can it be too late?  
'Cause I don't want to play  
With such a price to pay  
Chained to what I can't reclaim  
I'll never be the same  
- - -

Naoki had seen many gruesome things in his lifetime. He had watched other wolves and canines get massacred ruthlessly right before him, he had bled out himself in the fighting ring when he lived for a while in the city, but he certainly wasn't prepared for the ways of the Army.

The first few pawsteps into the territory was mesmerizing; the canyon was massive, and although their camp was dull, sandy colors of earth and rock, their surrounding territory was lush and vibrant, and in the distance by the mountains, the fields were dappled with bright white flowers of some sort.

It was filled with dozens of wolves of every shape and size, every color and every age. Most of them were burly and massive, their muscles flexing with the power they possessed, and he guessed they were the guards or fighters. Others were distinctly slender and lithe, no doubt the hunters and the scouts of the pack.

Pendulum stayed by his side as Volcom leapt away from them, disapearing behind a thick wall of rock and entering a cave where their alpha lived. The young second in command returned not long after, striding towards them confidently.

"Darcia will be out in a few moments," he said, his voice slightly calmer than before as he settled down beside Pendulum to wait. The other wolves had their gazes fixed intently on Naoki, their questioning thoughts predictable; _Who is he? Where does he come from? Can we trust him?_

Suddenly each wolf dipped their head, bowing it sharply with their eyes closed, and a massive, lean wolf slipped past the rocks, leaping up onto a boulder in front of Naoki, Volcom and Pendulum. His pelt was jet-black, an almost blue hue glowing on the tips of his fur, with two haunting different-colored irises; one was yellow, bright, fiery and burning, while the other one was electric blue, cold, mesmerizing and fierce.

Pendulum and Volcom merely nodded to him, and Naoki realized that not only was Volcom higher-ranked in the pack hiearchy, but Pendulum was as well. Naoki warily bowed his head to the huge black wolf, before standing straight again.

"Volcom," he turned his powerful head to look at the sandy-colored male, "You've got a wolf into our territory who _wasn't_ in the first place in our territory. Why is this?"

He stepped forward calmly, "He wasn't a paradise wolf, and he isn't one of our wolves. The surrounding packs are solely living in the forest, never venturing into the city unless it means their pathetic lives. Aren't you the least bit curious as to where he came from?"

Paradise. That made Naoki's ears prick forward.

"No. Why the fuck _should_ I care?" Darcia leapt off the boulder and stalked directly for him, thrusting his head forward and hitting him in the shoulder, causing him to stagger backwards, "He's extremely scarred, and he's extremely young. His scars show the defeat he had faced, and his youth will just make him naiive. We don't need him, we don't want him. Kill him, Volcom."

He sighed lowly, "If you insist, Darcia." Prowling forward, Volcom crouched down closer to the ground, baring his teeth as he prepared to strike. Then Pendulum shot forward, blocking their access to eachother, "Wait!"

A low growl erupted from the alpha's throat, "Pendulum, move it!" However, the slender young wolfess refused to move, her emerald gaze lit up in annoyance, "Darcia, you're ignoring the fact that he isn't naiive at all. You should've seen him fight Volcom. He nearly beat him."

"Bitch, are you stupid? He wasn't even close!" Volcom snarled. Pendulum responded by boredly rolling her eyes.

"Physical strength," Darcia spoke firmly, "But is he mentally capable of facing our rules and ways? Have you ever murdered someone before, kid?"

Naoki's fiery gaze burned, the amber flickering like a hot flame, "I've murdered more wolves than I can count," he shot back, "You clearly have no idea where I've come from."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"With pleasure."

With a swish of his black tail, he stood, claws sinking firmly into the soil beneath his strong forepaws, "When I was a mere pup, my entire pack was slaughtered right before my own eyes, leaving only three survivors; myself, and two other pups. The humans took us and treated us well, for atleast the first few months of our capture," Naoki paused, watching the alpha wolf's expression. It hadn't change whatsoever.

"When I was still a young pup, the humans beat us, tortured us, abused us. They taught us to be cruel, to be unforgiving and malicious. They taught us to fight without hesitation, preparing us for the city's fighting ring without us even aware of it." Darcia's yellow eye then glowed with a new emotion, though it was carefully masked.

"The humans bet money on us. The more wolves we massacred, the more money our masters would get. My master was the head of the whole thing; he was proud of me, but only because he could get money off me. If I lost, I'd get chained up and beaten, or other times, I'd get chained up in the ring while the other humans would set their dogs loose on me, and I was unable to defend myself. They wouldn't let them kill me, however, just 'teach me a lesson'."

Naoki lifted his head, irises swirling and flickering, the amber nearly a clear red, "And you _think I'm mentally fucking uncapable_?!" His jaws parted in a deep snarl, revealing the sharp, pointed daggers of teeth he hid inside his powerful jaws. Even Pendulum dipped her and began to step back, but Volcom merely pushed her forward again.

"You're story is intriguing," Volcom growled dryly, "But that only proves you've never technically lived the life of a pack wolf, you've barely been set loose to the wild. Can you handle that alone? Can you even hunt?"

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not handicapped, you know. I may not have lived with a pack for the majority of my life, but I know how to hunt." Naoki watched Volcom narrow his eyes and glance at Darcia expectantly.

Darcia flicked his tail-tip, settling down on his haunches, "I want you to stay," said the massive alpha, "But mind you, I'll be keeping an eye on you. Don't wander into paradise territory either, unless I send you on a spying mission. I'll tear your guts out if you do."

Naoki watched, bewildered, as he rose and strode back into the darkness of his den. Volcom even looked a bit suprised, but Pendulum was beaming.

"This is good," she said, "If you partner up with me, Naoki, in battle or missions, well then Darcia will make us top guards in no time. He needs two of them, not one."

"Why do you think Darcia'll ever make me a Top Guard," he mumbled, before sitting up and looking at Volcom, "Darcia mentioned Paradise earlier."

"Yeah. And your point?"

"There's such a place? Around _here_?"

"Don't act all awe-struck," he snarled suddenly, and Naoki was suprised at the sudden anger the second commander now expressed, "The wolves that live in paradise are disgusting, weak, filthy creatures who always run with their tails between their legs."

Naoki's eyes narrowed, but at this point, he didn't have anything to say. Behind him, where the remaining members of the huge pack lounged, an adolescent female with a golden and white pelt fixed her gaze on the three of them, their blue irises flashing thoughtfully. Her expression was difficult to read, but she had obviously been listening to what Volcom said. Ominously, she rose to her paws and padded away, her movements graceful and not as commanding as most of the wolves around here.

"Who is she?" Naoki murmured almost to himself. Beside him, Volcom raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at his jaws, "Intrested in her, are ya? I'd stay away from the girl, Naoki. She wasn't born into this pack."

"Neither was I."

"That's different. You don't come from where _she_ did."

"Where-"

"Naoki, Volcom, Pendulum!" a low growl came from the entrance of Darcia's cave, and a reddish-brown wolf with dark gold eyes emerged, "Darcia wants you Volcom, while Pen and Naoki are to meet in the cedar hollow. Pendulum, you're to see whether or not Naoki can even handle your skills."

Pendulum's green eyes flickered, "Sure thing, Saska." Turning away from the older wolf, she pushed past Naoki and strode towards the side of the clearing to leave the camp, "C'mon, moron. Time to see really how good you are."

With a roll of his eyes, he turned sharply on his heel and jogged after her, catching up easily.

_How fun will this be_.

**______________________________________________________________________**

"That den over there? Yeah, that belongs to me," Tsuki asserted sharply as Ravyn came up beside it, glancing at him over her shoulder as if he were crazy. "I wasn't planning on going in there," she retorted, wrinkling her nose to look disgusted. She ignored the larger wolf's growl.

It didn't take a genius to know those two didn't get along, and Tsuki was just generally constantly looking for something to pick a fight on, Tracy noted silently, watching from the side of the clearing. She hadn't been at Paradise for very long, only a day or two, but had been welcomed into the pack by the current members; which, the pack didn't consist of too many wolves.

Raikou usually kept to herself, except for the times when she occasionally went over with Tsuki. She seemed clever and calculating; not exactly cold and aggressive, but she had her get-the-hell-away-from-me moments every once in awhile. Well, perhaps a bit more regularily than the others, but it wasn't anything to currently complain about.

Shooting the black wolf a sharp glare, Tsuki turned away and stalked down the slope leading towards the valley, disapearing among a few trees scattered along the edge of the grassy clearing. Ravyn spat something as he went, whipping around and trotting away across the clearing, her glossy black pelt blowing from the soft breeze the winds carried.

Boredom finally clung to her, annoying like a burr caught in her pelt, and she started to her paws, giving her coat a quick shake. Her ice-blue eyes travelled carefully around the clearing. Raikou was lying on a large boulder at the edge of the camp clearing, while Ravyn had disapeared after her brief arguement with Tsuki. Holding back a sigh, she turned and began to pursue Tsuki down into the valley, having nothing better to do around paradise.

The lean grey wolf was sitting in a patch of lunar flowers and sweet-smelling grass, the thin green stalks flattened out beneath his large forepaws. Oblivious to the younger wolf, who was prowling up from behind him, he swished his tail calmly, staring at the distance with drowsy boredom. Swaying on her haunches, the reddish-brown wolf crouched down, preparing to pounce on her target; the silver tip of Tsuki's soft-furred tail.

The moment her front paws made contact with his tail, Tsuki had sprung to his paws, whipping around so quickly he nearly knocked himself over. Tracy, who had backed up and nearly doubled over laughing, stopped and let a smirk take over her features, eyes narrowed. Tsuki just blinked wordlessly, his tail now curled safely around his paws, as if he feared she'd just go ahead and attack it again.

"What are you doing," Tsuki's voice sounded slightly bored, though his expression proved otherwise. His green eyes looked slightly suprised, but he had relaxed and his tail was now flicking anxiously at his side.

Tracy sat up, the bangles on her one forepaw moving noisily, "Hunting," she replied sarcastically, blinking at him innocently, "What does it look like I'm doing? Playing, of course."

"...Huh." Tsuki shook his head, before lifting his chin and looking at her more closely. The grey and silver male was quite musculer, though still thin, with long, strong legs. Apearantly he looked alot like his father, apart from the scar; although three clawmarks did travel down one broad shoulder.

"Not like you're used to it, anyways," she muttered, averting her gaze from him and down at her the grass, which swayed in the breeze, tickling her forepaws. Tsuki's pale emerald gaze remained on her for a few more curious seconds, before turning away.

"It's not like I ever had the chance to," He said, stretching out his limbs as he silently stripped his mind down for words to explain, "I'm not into that kind of stuff anyways, you can never let your guard down around here. You can't lack your senses, you can't just ignore everything around you and let loose- you have to be on the lookout at all times."

Tracy frowned, "I never said I'd be shutting down my senses, or anything else you're trying to explain to me," she murmured, "And why are you all so concerned about what lurks around out there? You and Ravyn are always so uptight about Darcia's Army, but I haven't heard anything from them since I've been here."

"You've been here for_ two _days, Trace."

"Two very long days. Besides, didn't you say they show up nearly _every_ day?"

"Have you ever been told how simply annoying you are?" The grey wolf sighed, uncurling his tail from around his silver paws and standing up. Tracy merely rolled her eyes, muttering something he didn't hear under her breath. "Look, we'll come across them eventually, and I'm just saying you've got to be careful. Jeez, you've barely outgrown puphood."

The reddish-brown wolf immediately got to her paws, "Not true!" she argued flatly, "I'm nearly as old as you are! And I can defend myself, anyways!"

"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow at her mockingly, leaning over, "Prove it, _puppy_."

Tracy smiled slowly, crouching down and using her back legs to push off the earth and bowl into the larger wolf, pinning him down. Slightly suprised, he jerked his body forward and flipped over her, causing _him_ to pin _her_ down.

At the edge of the valley, Raikou emerged, briefly hesitating to watch the two wolves tumble over one another in an attempt to playfight. Impatience clung to her, however, and her fur bristled slightly. From the corner of her eye, Tracy noticed the flash of white fur and instantly stood up. Tsuki rolled over and onto his stomache, turning to look at Raikou. His eyes narrowed at her expression.

"Raikou!" He stood to his feet, lifting up his head, "Whats going on?" As he spoke, the white wolf raced through the lunar flowers and grass towards him, her movements fluent and graceful and she slowed to a stop in front of him.

"There are two wolves at the edge of our territory," she announced, both Tracy and Tsuki's ears pricking up at her news, "But they don't apear to be from the canyon, maybe just loners who are wandering around, but I suggest we go and take a look."

Nodding in agreement, the grey slipped past Raikou, streaking into the forest. Tracy went to follow Tsuki, but Raikou held out a paw, blocking her path. Puzzled and slightly annoyed, she glanced up at her.

"Are you sure you'll be able to go?" Was Raikou's prompt question, her golden eyes meeting her blue gaze. Tracy began to bristle.

"What do you mean-"

Raikou jerked her head back and began to turn away to continue after Tsuki, "Sorry to offend you, then," she muttered, "I just think that maybe you should stay back with Ravyn, incase a fight breaks out." And with that the great white wolf sped out of the clearing and in pursuit of her companion. Tracy fumed.

_Is she suggesting i'm weak?_ she growled to herself. Shaking her head angrily, she whipped around, and headed back to camp, her tail swishing at the stalks of bracken and undergrowth of which she passed.

______________________________________________________________________________

They weren't familliar, but they didn't apear to be complete strangers either, Tsuki noted silently as he and Raikou watched them from a thick clump of vegetation. The two paradise wolves were huddling so close that their pelts brushed, careful to stay hidden and to stay silent.

The other two stranger wolves didn't apear to be aquianted with one another, casting wary glances and quick warning snarls. One was a male, and from his apearance, Tsuki was thinking _Blue_. His pelt was jet-black, and he had deep, dark blue eyes.

The other was a female, and was so awfully familliar that it made the painful memories of his family's slaughter suddenly so much fresher. She was a very light, pale dark and light silver with bright leaf green eyes. She was thin and awfully slender, with long legs. Tsuki glanced over at Raikou, trying to catch a glimpse of an expression, but she remained emotionless, eyes fixed on the two strangers. Finally, Tsuki got to his paws and slipped out of the bush and out into the open without letting his companion know.

"Tsuki, what're you-" she cut off with a growl and merely followed him, the black male and the silver female both backing to the edges of the forest clearing in suprise. The male bared his teeth in a defensive growl, while the fae backed up against a tree, her neck fur bristled nervously, though she didn't let it show on her face.

"Who are you?" Tsuki turned to face the female, while Raikou turned to face the male questioningly.

"Hinto," the male muttered, as if too annoyed and too lazy to continue any sort of arguement against them. Raikou blinked and dipped her head briefly to him, while Tsuki still faced the female.

He stepped forward carefully towards her, "Well?" he prompted, his tail swishing calmly. She didn't answer at first, and Tsuki wondered for a moment if she didn't even hear him, before she finally sighed and dipped her head to him.

"I'm Sukai," she said, not meeting his gaze. Tsuki's eyes grew wide, his limbs stiffening with suprise. Both Hinto and Raikou turned to look at him curiously.

"Y-you used to be a paradise wolf," he murmured, his eyes slowly beginning to narrow in thought, "You're parents- Tsume and Shay, were they not? And you had a brother, and his name was-"

"Tsuki," she said in a voice that was hardly a whisper. Raikou blinked in suprise, and glanced over at Tsuki, but in seconds, Sukai and Tsuki had rushed to eachother, greeting eachother with an affectionate touch of the nose.

_So thats his sister_, she thought curiously. It wasn't suprising, however, for they looked very much alike; while Sukai's eyes were pure green, Tsuki's were golden-green, and while Sukai's pelt was a very light silver, Tsuki's was darker. Both slightly resembled their father.

"What about you?" Raikou turned to face Hinto, who had turned his attention back to her, "Who is your kin?"

"My father was Hige, and my mother was Blue," he replied, blinking his blue eyes, "Heh, I never exactly knew what happened at the last fight that killed my parents, but I've been hanging around in his area ever since. I just never wandered this close before..."

Raikou nodded, "So you are a paradise wolf."

Hinto nodded back, "I am."

Casting one more glance at Tsuki, Raikou let out a sigh and swept her gaze along the forest of paradise.

_Eventually, Paradise will be a true pack again_.

_____________________________________________________________________________

**(A/N: Sup. For like the millionth time, sorry for bad grammar or anything. It's late, and I can't spell worth a damn. Anyways, enjoy until the next chapter!)**

**- b l u e y**

**'lyrics above from celldweller's, **_switchback_**'**

**__________________________________________________________________**


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